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Submitted by: Jennifer Brewer, jbrewer1@uca.edu on 08/26/2026

Brightspace Office Hours Are Over — But Support Isn’t!

The semester is underway, and our beginning-of-semester Brightspace Office Hours have wrapped up. But don’t worry—we’re not disappearing now that the first assignments are due and the Gradebook is starting to get interesting.

Brightspace support is still available all semester.

Have a question or need help with your course?

�䷡�մ���’s Instructional Designers are available for individual consultations. Whether you’re trying to organize content, set up an assignment, make sense of your Gradebook, improve student engagement, or simply figure out “How do I make Brightspace do this?”—we’re happy to help.

For technical issues such as login problems, missing courses or content, or course merges, contact desupport@uca.edu.

Want to learn more? Brightspace training continues all semester!

Now that you’ve had a chance to actually teach in Brightspace, you may be ready to move beyond simply finding the buttons.

�䷡�մ���’s Teaching with Brightspace series continues throughout the fall with practical, pedagogy-focused sessions designed to help you make Brightspace work better for both you and your students.

Upcoming topics include:

• Setting Yourself and Your Students Up for Success – Build a well-organized course while working through communication, content, assessments, and grades.
• Presence & Clarity – Use course design and communication to help students know what to expect and stay on track.
• Interaction & Community – Create more meaningful discussions, peer interaction, and collaborative learning.
• Beyond Discussion Boards – Explore new ways to encourage active participation and authentic student engagement.
• Feedback & Momentum – Use rubrics, feedback, and Gradebook tools to keep students moving forward.
• From Passive to Active – Use Annoto to turn course videos into more interactive learning experiences.
• Free Yourself to Teach – Put page templates, Release Conditions, and Intelligent Agents to work to reduce repetitive course tasks.
• How Grading Supports Learning – Make your Brightspace Gradebook a tool for communication and learning, not just a place where numbers live.
• Feedback Without Burnout – Give students meaningful, actionable feedback without making feedback your new full-time job.

Sessions are offered in person and via Zoom throughout the semester, so you can choose the topic and format that works best for you.

View the full Teaching with Brightspace schedule and register

And for guides, FAQs, recorded training, and other resources, visit the CETAL Brightspace Resource Page.

Office Hours may be over, but Brightspace support—and plenty of opportunities to learn what else it can do—are still here.

 

Submitted by: Jennifer Deering, jdeering@uca.edu on 08/25/2026

The Office of Grants and Sponsored Research will host the Fall SURF Open House from 9:30a–3:30p in Torreyson West, Ste. 328, September 9, 2026.

Faculty mentors and their eligible students are encouraged to stop by to ask questions and discuss the process. We look forward to meeting you!
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The Arkansas Department of Higher Education’s Student Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) is your board to ride the waves of discovery and innovation! This fellowship is designed to help sophomores, juniors, and seniors and their full-time faculty mentors paddle out to the deep waters of their dream project, whether it’s a creative activity, scholarly endeavor, or scientific research. It’s also a perfect opportunity for faculty who have not applied for grants to get their feet wet.
Don’t let this wave pass you by—grab your chance to ride the tide of success by letting the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs help you apply today. “Hang ten!”

Deadlines and Application Materials

September 15, 2026: Register Intent to Apply Due
To begin the process, students and mentors should fill out the Registration Form together. Once the form is completed, a representative from our office will email applicants to guide them through the process.

October 7, 2026: Deadline for Comprehensive Review
If you would like our grant writer to provide feedback on all or part of the narrative components of your proposal, you must submit documents for feedback by October 7, 2026 to OGSR@uca.edu with the subject line “SURF Comprehensive Review.”

October 14, 2026: All Completed Applications Must Be Submitted
Professionals in the Office of Grants and Sponsored Research will begin reviewing your budget and budget justification and routing your application packet for university approval.

Applicants can find everything they need here: /sponsoredprograms/surf/.

Contact: Jennifer Deering, Grant Writer & Developer for the Office of Grants and Sponsored Research at jdeering@uca.edu, (501) 450-3452 for any questions.

uca.edu/sponsoredprograms/SURF

Submitted by: Stephanie Rose, srose3@uca.edu on 08/25/2026

Attend One Pill Can Kill on Wednesday, September 2nd. Receive 2 FREE doses of Naloxone, shirts, lunch and more!!!!

Submitted by: Leslie Coger, lcoger1@uca.edu on 08/25/2026

Use the link below to register for upcoming ArCA Events!

Submitted by: Jennifer Brewer, jbrewer1@uca.edu on 08/24/2026

Beat the Clock – Helping Students Plan for Success

When: Tuesday, September 1 at 12:15 p.m.

Where: Christian Cafeteria Executive Dining Room

Facilitator: Amy Baldwin

“I didn’t have enough time.”

If you teach, chances are good you’ve heard that sentence once. Or twice. Or 847 times.

For many students, managing their time is about more than remembering a due date. They’re learning how to balance classes, work, activities, relationships, sleep, and all the other things competing for a spot on an already crowded calendar. And sometimes, “I’ll do it later” turns into “Wait…that was due yesterday?”

The good news? Faculty can help students build better planning habits without adding a second job as their personal calendar manager.

Join us for lunch and conversation about practical ways to help students plan their time, manage priorities, estimate how long coursework will actually take, and make more realistic decisions about their schedules.

We’ll explore simple strategies you can use in your courses to help students. No elaborate new system required. No color-coded planner intervention necessary. (Although, color-coded planners can be fun.)

Bring your own ideas, hear what colleagues are doing, and leave with a few practical strategies you can put to work with students right away.

Lunch is provided, so the only thing you need to manage is the time on your own calendar.

 

Submitted by: Jennifer Brewer, jbrewer1@uca.edu on 08/24/2026

We’re back! The Faculty for Successful Students campaign is returning for its third year!

CETAL, in collaboration with Student Success Services, is once again sharing simple, practical ways faculty can help students develop the habits that contribute to academic success – especially during that sometimes bumpy first year.

And NEW this year: Brightspace tips! Each campaign message will include a quick Brightspace idea you can share with students or use in your own course. Because we’re all still getting acquainted with our new LMS, and a useful tip now may save a “Where do I find that?” email later. We make no promises, but we like the odds.

Throughout the semester, each message will include:

• The current çstudent success theme
• A few practical ways to reinforce that habit in your course
• A Brightspace Byte you can use or share with students
• Links to corresponding classroom slides and resources
• And, when the calendar cooperates, a Bear Bites lunch where we can continue the conversation (That’s a hint!)

The slides are designed to be easy: project the appropriate one as students arrive in class or include it in your weekly messaging in an asynchronous course.

(Students read these! I’m telling myself that as much as I’m telling you.)

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This Week’s Focus: Foster Engaged Attendance

The message students see:

This is a great time to establish that simply being there, physically and mentally, matters.

A few ways to Reinforce Success:

• Take attendance and briefly explain why attendance matters in your particular course.
• Create at least one opportunity for students to actively participate during each class.
• Help students see that their presence matters to their classmates, too – not just to their attendance grade.
• Try a quick exit ticket asking students for a takeaway, question, or reflection from the day’s class.

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Brightspace Bytes:

• Encourage students to turn on notifications for announcements, due dates, and feedback
• Remind students to check the Calendar regularly
• Ask students to take a quick look at Brightspace before class so they know what’s coming.

A 30-second reminder about Pulse during the first week may prevent at least a few future variations of “But I didn’t know that was due!”

Again: No promises. We’re instructional designers, not magicians.

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Speaking of time…join us for Bear Bites!
(This is the hint!)

Beat the Clock – Helping Students Plan for Success
When: Tuesday, September 1 | 12:15 p.m.
Where:Christian Cafeteria Executive Dining Room
Facilitator: Amy Baldwin

“I didn’t have enough time.”

If you teach, chances are good you’ve heard that sentence once. Or twice. Or 847 times.

Join us for lunch and conversation about practical ways to help students plan their time, manage priorities, estimate how long coursework will take, and make more realistic decisions about their schedules.

Bring your own ideas, hear what colleagues are doing, and pick up a few strategies you might want to try with your students.

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Keep These Handy

Faculty for Successful Students Webpage

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Thanks for all the small things you do to help students find their footing and become more successful at ÿ�մ�����վ. Those small things add up!

 

Submitted by: Tracy McGarrity, tracym@uca.edu on 08/24/2026

The Bear Essentials Food Pantry is now open from 11 am until 5 pm Monday through Thursday.

/foodpantry/

Submitted by: Kristen Oitker, koitker1@uca.edu on 08/24/2026

Join us at the Bill Stephens Complex for the home opener of the Men’s Soccer season! The Bears take on the Belmont Bruins on Friday at 7 PM. Admission is free – sit in the stands or next to the action on the sidelines!

Submitted by: Kristen Oitker, koitker1@uca.edu on 08/24/2026

The Bears are back at the Bill Stephens Complex on Thursday. Alabama State comes to town for a 7 PM kick off. You can sit close to the action on the sideline so bring a lawn chair or blanket. If you’d like a higher vantage point take up a spot in the stands! Admission is free!

Submitted by: Charlotte Strickland, chars@uca.edu on 08/24/2026

In today’s workforce, five generations collaborate under one roof—each with unique values, communication styles, and expectations of leadership. This session explores how modern leadership isn’t about picking sides; it’s about weaving generational wisdom into adaptive, inclusive, and future-ready strategies. This interactive session reveals how to harness the lived experience of seasoned professionals and the fresh perspectives of emerging talent to shape high-performing, resilient teams. Attendees will walk away with practical tools to navigate generational friction, build psychological safety, and reframe leadership as a shared, evolving practice.
September 22, 2026 (Tuesday) 1:30 – 3:00 p.m.
Ronnie Williams Student Center #214
Presenters: Steven Shook (ShakeItUp Consulting), Charlotte Strickland ( ÿ�մ�����վ HR)

/hr/protectedcontent/seminar-information/